法苑珠林 24.69

24.69

Monk Daohui of Renshou [Temple] in Puzhou under the Tang was surnamed Zhang in lay life and was a native of Yuxiang in Hedong. His spiritual temperament was lofty and far-reaching, his capacity vacant and concise. He skillfully mastered opportune occasions and was deeply discerning in ways of governance. Although he mastered numerous canons, he took the Nirvāṇa-sūtra and Mahāyānasaṃgraha as the lodging for his spirit. In the winter of the second year of the Zhenguan reign, he was invited to lecture on the Nirvāṇa-sūtra. Foreknowing his impending end, he firmly refused the invitation. The requester, failing to grasp the reason, repeatedly and earnestly urged him. Unable to decline their sincerity, he accepted the invitation and ascended the seat. Announcing the title, he addressed the four assemblies, speaking with a sigh of lamentation: "I consider that we are far removed from the Sage, and the subtle words have vanished. What is transmitted by the mediocre and foolish is unworthy to serve as a model. Yet, through faith and devotion, you will naturally come to awakening. Today’s exposition will conclude after the verse beginning with 'How...'. But the worldly nature is such that it must soon come to an end; since time is pressed, let each of you apply your mind." Following the text line by line, right as he reached the beginning of the verse, he realized his loss of mindfulness and died without illness at the age of seventy-five. In the twelfth month of that year, his remains were conveyed to the north side of the Zhongnan Mountains in Ziwu Valley of the Royal City. The entire locality wailed as if having lost their parents. That night, snow fell over an area of three to four li. They swept a path to allow passage and laid out the corpse upon the mountain ridge. Overnight, strange flowers suddenly sprang up surrounding the corpse on all sides, bursting from the ground, numbering about five hundred stems and reaching some two feet in height. They bloomed fresh and glorious, resembling coltsfoot flowers, yet their form and appearance were entirely different. The assembly was astonished and moved, their wailing and rejoicing resounding across the mountain. They plucked some to bring into the city to show the elders, who placed them into water vases; even by the fifth month of the following year, they had not withered. Were it not aided by merit from previous lives, how could such unseen wonders and auspicious responses have been evoked? There was a man in Jinzhou who was fond of hunting and originally devoid of faith. Hearing of Daohui's spiritual resonance, he went to the mountain to look, yet saw only an empty place. Repenting in grief, he wept aloud: "In life I did not receive the dawn of faith, and in death I have not encountered auspicious signs. Why alone am I without a spiritual response? If there is truly a divine way, I pray it shows a slight sign." As soon as he finished speaking, wondrous flowers sprang from the earth, also two feet high. Comforted and delighted by this auspicious response, his resolve remained steadfast forever. (These eight verifications above are drawn from the Tang Da Tang Gaoseng Zhuan.)